Well pressure control apparatus



March 11, 1969 c. L. TILLMAN m 3,431,965

WELL PRESSURE CONTROL AVPPARATUS Filefi Feb. 2, 1967 Sheet of 3 SURFACE OF LAND OR FLOOR OF OCEAN FIG. 3.

INVENTOR CASSIUS L. TILLMANIII ATTORNEY March 11, 1969 c. TILLMAN m 3,431,965

WELL PRESSURE CONTROL APPARATUS FiledFeb. 2, 1967 Sheet 2 of 5 FIG. 2.

4IA 42A I4 L's svl FIG. Ii.

INVENTOR CASSIUS L. TILLMAN III FIGJO. BY W},

ATTORNEY March 11, 1969 c. TILLMAN m 3,431,965

WELL PRESSURE CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2, 1967 cAsslus L.TILLMAN 1::

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,431,965 WELL PRESSURE CONTROL APPARATUS Cassius L. Tillman III, P.0. Box 343, Peters Road, Harvey, La. 70058 Filed Feb. 2, 1967, Ser. No. 618,257 US. Cl. 16689 Int. Cl. E21b 43/12 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to well pressure apparatus and it is more particularly concerned with improved means for mounting tubing in a well head.

In US. Patent No. 3,151,680, there is described apparatus for mounting well tubing by means of a lower hanger supported on an upwardly facing shoulder and an upper concentric hanger supported on the lower hanger and so devised as to provide an annular inner manifold between the adjacent faces of the hangers. This manifold communicates with exterior discharge pipes by means of ducts passing through the lower hanger.

The present invention comprises improvements in such prior apparatus which simplify the structure by eliminating certain elements and rearranging the remaining elements. The means of supporting the hangers in the body member is also simplified. The resulting improved apparatus is simple in construction, easier to assemble and results in improved operating characteristics.

The invention generally comprises a body member adapted to be supported on the upper end of the outer casing of the well. It has a vertical opening, a portion of which has an inverted frusto-conical configuration forming a wall surface. An upper partition of septum and a lower tube hanger are mounted in the opening each having central openings and outer configurations conforming each to a different vertical portion of the wall surface. The septum and hanger are supported on the wall surface in coaxial spaced relation to each other. An outer well tubing is connected to and supported by the tubing hanger, while an inner tubing passes through a packing gland of the septum and is supported by a tubing hanger above the septum. Ducts extend through the wall of the body member radially from points in the space between the septum and the lower hanger to the exterior of the body member.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the well head body and pertinent parts associated therewith along the line 11 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view along the line 2--2 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 i s a foreshortened vertical sectional view along the line 33 of FIG. 4.

IFIG. 4 is a top plan view of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line 55 of BIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional exploded view of the principal parts of the embodiment on a smaller scale.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the lower body section 12, apart from the embodiment as a whole.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the lower hanger member 22 apart from the embodiment as a whole.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the upper hanger member 21 apart from the embodiment as a whole.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the retainer member 39 apart from the embodiment as a whole.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the gland nut 37 apart from the embodiment as a whole.

Referring to the drawing with more particularity the embodiment illustrated comprises a well head body having a lower section 12 adapted to be attached to the upper end of a tubular well casing'13 by means of threads 14, and a top section 15 which is attached to the lower section by flange bolts 16 and nuts 17.

The lower section 12 is provided with a central axial cavity, the upper portion of which is upwardly divergent to form flared wall surfaces 19 and 20- adapted to support upper and lower members 21 and 22, respectively. The outer lateral surfaces of these members are shaped to nest on these wall surfaces one above the other and independent each of the other with a vertical space 23 therebetween. The surfaces 19 and 20 may be separated and/or may be differently tapered, as shown, to provide distinctly different support zones.

The member 22 is a tubing hanger and is provided with an annular bevel 24 at the upper outer edge to form a seat for the noses 25 of a series of conventional locking screws 26. (See FIG. 3.) These locking screws are mounted in the lower body section 12 in circumferentially spaced relation.

The member 21 is a septum provided with a median annular recess 27 which also serves to receive the noses 28 of a second series of conventional locking screws 29. The relation between the locking screws 29 and recesses -27 is such as to exert a downward camming force against the member 21 so as to increase its seating pressure against the wall surface 20 and to obviate an upward force that would tend to unseat it. For this purpose the upper side 30 of the recess 27 is recessed out of contact with the normal position of the noses 28. (See FIG. 2.)

The outer tubing 31 is threadedly engaged at its upper end to a bottom annular section 32 of the lower hanger 22. Inner tubing 33 passes through a central opening 34 in the septum 21 and it is threadedly engaged with a threaded counterbore 35 of an outlet opening 36 in the top section 15. The septum 21 is provided with a seal in the form of a packing gland about the tubing 33, said gland comprising a gland nut 37, packing 38 and a packing retainer 39 mounted on a nipple 40 integral with the bottom of the septum 21. (See FIG. 2).

Lateral outlet ducts 41 are provided in the lower body section 12, the inner ends thereof communicating with the space 23 'between the hangers and the outer ends being threadedly engaged with a conventional fitting 42 for connection to an exterior pipe (not shown). Additional outlet ducts 41A are provided for the space between the casing 13 and tubing 31 with conventional fittings 42A.

Conventional seals are provided at all metal to metal joints, such as the metallic ring 43 between the body sections 12 and 15, the metallic ring 44 between the upper body section 15 and the upper hanger 22; resilient seals 45 and 46 between the wall surface 20 and the septum 21 in straddle relation to the recess 27, and the resilient seals 47 and 48 between the lower hanger 22 and the wall surface 19.

I claim:

1. Improved well apparatus comprising a body member adapted to be attached to and supported on the upper end of the outer casing, said body member having a vertical opening axially therthrough, said opening having inverted frustoconical configurations forming corresponding wall surfaces, an upper septum and a lower tubing hanger mounted in said opening, said septum and hanger having each central openings therethrough and outer configurations conforming each to a different vertical portion of the wall surface, said septum and hanger being directly supported on said surfaces in vertically spaced relation to each other, tubular connection means asociated with each of said septum and hanger, said septum and hanger being in coaxial relation to each other, and ducts extending through the wall of the body member radially from points in the space between the septum and hanger to the exterior of the body member.

2. Improved well apparatus as defined by claim 1 and a packing gland carried by the septum for engaging tubing to be connected thereto.

3. Improved well apparatus as defined by claim 1 in which the body member comprises an upper section and a lower section, means for removably securing said sections together, said upper section having an outlet opening and means associated with the opening for connecting well tubing thereto.

4. The combination with an outer well casing of a body member attached to and supported on the upper end of the casing, said body member having an upper section and a lower section secured together, said lower section having an inverted frusto-conical opening axially therethrough forming a wall surface of corresponding configuration, an upper septum and a lower tubing hanger mounted in said opening, said septum and hanger having each central openings therethrough and outer configurations conforming each to different vertically spaced portions of the wall surface, said septum and hanger being abuttingly engaged with and supported by the portions of the outer wall surface in vertically spaced relation to each other, outer tubing connected to the hanger in communication with the central opening therethrough, inner tubing coaxially disposed in the outer tubing connected to the septum and to the upper section of the body member, and ducts extending radially through the wall of the body member from points in the space between the septum and hanger and extending to the exterior of the body member, said upper body section having an opening in communication with the inner tubing.

5. The combination as defined by claim 4 and a packing gland between the septum and the inner tubing, said tubing passing through the gland and having its upper end attached to the opening of the upper body section.

6. Well apparatus comprising a body member adapted to be attached to and supported on the upper end of the outer casing of a well, said body member having a vertical opening axially therethrough, separate upper and lower means tubing hangers in said opening for supporting inner and outer tubings of the well, and a septum in the opening between said upper and lower tubing hanger, said septum having a vertical opening in which the inner tubing is disposed, said septum opening having a packing gland engaging said inner tubing, said septum and lower tubing hanger being removably supported in the vertical opening at different elevations, said vertical opening having two inverted frusto-conical configurations of different sloping sides, one for the septum and one for the lower hanger, said septum and lower hanger having corresponding outer surface configurations to react on the said inverted frusto-conical configurations of the vertical opening.

7. Well apparatus as defined by claim 6- and releasable means for holding the lower tubing hanger in its seated position relative to its corresponding configuration of the vertical opening.

8. Well apparatus as defined by claim 6 in which the septum is held in its seated position relative to its corresponding configuration of the vertical opening by contact with a removable upper part of the body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,900,260 3/1933 Shalfer 166-89 X 1,927,190 9/1933 Stephens 16689 2,118,094 5/1938 McDonough et al. l66-89 X 2,652,895 9/1953 Arrowood 16689 X 3,084,745 4/196 3 Floyd 285133 X 3,151,680 10/1964 Parkhurst et a1. 16689 3,177,942 4/1965 Haeber 166-89 X 3,311,168 3/1967 Pierce 166-89 DAVID H. BROWN, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 285133 

